You must have noticed a behavioral change in young children and they easily go mad about something that goes against their will. This and much more is seen in children suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD. School age children are likely to be affected by ADHD. On an average, boys are likely to have more tendency to develop ADHD than girls. During ADHD issue, a kid may start to over react, seems to be hyperactive and have trouble focusing on things. They may be anxious, furious and over excited due to changes or other’s reactions. Parents are often worried about managing their behaviors and find it difficult to discipline them. Here are 10 ways to discipline a child with ADHD at home.
10 Ways to Discipline a Child with ADHD at Home
Here are some effective solutions to deal with ADHD children. Find 10 ways to discipline a child with ADHD at home.
- Offer Creative Solutions – At times your direct method of explaining and teaching things may not provide their brain a resourceful acknowledgement. For making them understand and remember things, try to put your words in a picture format, read a story related to it or act with funny behavior activities. This strategy is applicable at home and usually parents together can manage to make their hyperactive child understand good and bad according to the acts. However, there are no rules or proper methodology to follows acts. What parents understand may not be perceived by the child, which parents need to realize. Hence, being like them and offering them creative options can help them distract from their weird behaviors. Eventually they will learn that these options are more acceptable than theirs. This is one of the simplest way to discipline a child with ADHD at home.
- Positive Attention Required – It is very exhausting for parents to deal with a child who is suffering from ADHD. They have never ending questions, energy and desire to communicate which may at a certain moment make you frustrate. So please keep calm and gather some extra patience to deal because shouting or showing anger to them at this time phase may result into adverse effects on their mental status. They may start hiding feelings with you or may not find a friend in you. Positive attention is possible in various ways such as- you can involve them in activities of household. Ask them to wipe table, make bed, collect colors and rearrange utility items in the kitchen. Your involvement during a healthy conversation with them will calm down their ADHD issue. Therefore, experts request parents to keep a positive atmosphere at home while kids with ADHD are awake and around them. This way they will learn to behave calmly and manage to listen what you have to say gradually.
- Offer Instructions and Not Commands – Kids who are unable to pay attention to your talks, will never ever go with commanding tone. No matter how loud you speak for them, instructive tone is acceptable. With low and calm voice you should instruct them the jobs you want them to do. Effective instructions include various statements such as- dear loved one, you should not drink water while standing, as it may choke you. Sit down and drink as much as you want. The tone should be very supportive, kind and easy to explain. Try to speak slowly so that they can grab each word of yours. However, always give one instruction at a time than telling them at once so many things to do because children with ADHD may not be able to follow multiple tasks one after the other. This is very important tip for parents, which can avoid many behavioral problems. Consider this as one of the best ways to discipline a child with ADHD at home.
- Efforts Should Be Appreciated – Always appreciate what your child does because this will encourage their mind and soul to perform better than before. Kids with ADHD are eager to follow what they did earlier. If good points are appreciated, they will try to follow them repeatedly. Good behavior should be praised by saying words like (nice job baby, I know you can do it, Wow! So nice to see you, great job done, and my best boy). All such words affect their mental level a lot. So next time you see your kid doing something with efforts then do not forget to praise them. If you follow this, you will surely not have to find any more ways to discipline a child with ADHD.
- Time-out Whenever Necessary- Children with ADHD need instructor to calm down their brain and body by saying two words- TIME-OUT. When they get aggressive or you find them doing things out of control, then shoot words timeout instantly. It should not be a punishment tone because that will make them more furious. Instead of frustrating them, it is necessary to make them sit quietly and show hand signs by saying timeout.
- Please Ignore Mild Misbehavior- Kids with ADHD may try to over react in public and misbehave. This is natural with such disorder and you must keep patience. If you will pay attention to such behavioral activities then they might become worse. Ignorance is the best remedy and smile when they are intentionally annoying you. This way, they will understand that such behaviors won’t affect my parents at all. Loud noises, complains, whining etc. may irritate you, but at home keep calm and make them understand in words that it was an awful act by their side once they are in happy or calm state of mind. Ignoring some negative behaviors can at times work wonders; one of the most trusted ways to discipline a child with ADHD.
- Reward for Good Job – You must maintain a reward system for even the smallest achievements that kids with ADHD do at home or school. For example, make them understand that if you will behave well, then you will get their favorite book, toy or a ride. Gradually they will start doing according to your requirements for the rewards you promised earlier. Make sure you always give them what you have said in commitment or else they will feel discouraged. Reward can be in any form; while candies and cookies may be needed sometimes, keep them to the minimum, to avoid unhealthy eating habits. Try to offer small gifts rather expensive ones so that their expectations are under control.
- Natural Consequences Favor – Kids with ADHD could not understand natural consequences which they may face after some actions. You know that their action will hurt them, but let their action come forward because no matter how much you guide them, they will only do what they find right. So let them enter into natural consequences in order to allow them to find out a way as solutions on their own. Please, stay beside and encourage their struggle so that they feel encouraged and understand what their parents were trying to teach from so long through words. Actions speak louder than words, is the right proverb. Offer them support and be with them, but let the, try on their own. Being over protective and over involved will not help unleash their talents nor will they be able to overcome their fears. Allowing them to try but being supportive is one of the important ways to discipline a child with ADHD.
- Communicate with Class Teacher – Working on your kid integrated with the support of the class teacher will actually work best. When parents maintain a record of school activities and teacher also takes initiative to follow the same behavior towards that kid, the child will be able to overcome their dilemma and strange behavior. Parents and teachers need to chalk out a behavioral plan, so the child trained positively and effectively at all levels, without being punished or humiliated.
- Restrict Broadcast Channels – Some channels are not meant for kids and they may have an adverse impact. Parental lock on channels is the only solution. In case kids are already spending more time in front of TV or phone, then enroll them in some art activities, music sessions or pay attention to them like playing, making things at home or household jobs so that their maximum time is spent in physical activities rather sitting idle and watching TV.
Final thought
Following these 10 ways to discipline a child with ADHD can truly help. It may take you some time to prevent negative behaviors or see some changes in their behavioral. But keep going because kids with hyperactivity disorder needs their parents and loved ones more than the outer world. Do not ignore their feelings and try to maintain a friendly atmosphere around them.
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